In this blog the co-Chairs Kevin Farquharson and Steve Beecroft we will be updating you on all things smart card, relating to local authority implementations and of course seeking your input and comment too. So…….why not help shape the future of smart card projects across the sector and contribute with your comments and share your experiences? Your input and feedback is critical to the ongoing success of the Forum.

Monday, 10 June 2013

THIS Summer will see a historic leap forward for ITSO smart ticketing when Southern Railway customers start using their smartcards to pay for journeys to Southern’s London stations. Southern is owned by Govia, a joint venture led by Go - Ahead which brands its ITSO - compliant smartcard as ‘the key’. The smartcard is currently undergoing testing with a view to firstly processing weekly, monthly and annual season tickets, as well as point to point single and return tickets.

This will be the first use of the new ITSO - compliant ticketing infrastructure inside TfL’s (Transport for London’s) transport system which involves the tri - reader equipment capable of processing ITSO - compliant smartcards, bank and Oyster cards (ITSO on Prestige, or IoP).

The key was first launched on a trial basis on Southern in September 2011 and has been gradually rolling out on all of Southern’s routes since then. April 17 saw it introduced to a further 17 stations, meaning it is now live at 88 out of 93 planned stations outside London. Customers already load weekly, monthly and annual season tickets onto their cards for journeys outside London. Summer will see 21 gated stations within London start to accept some Southern rail tickets on the key card. These include Victoria, London Bridge, Purley, Peckham Rye and Sutton.